Latest news with #ScottTurnbull
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Scott Turnbull presents … Surreally Good review – that's edutainment!
You can't argue with the title: here is a weird, wonderfully warm morning show from illustrator and theatre-maker Scott Turnbull. Armed with an overhead projector and a stack of acetate sheets, he is our 'edutainment tutor', devoted to an anti-Gradgrind enterprise of spreading joy through facts. Today's lesson plan: rising sea levels, youth clubs and, er, vampire bunnies. Today's methods: limericks, songs, plinky-plonk music and lots of doodles, some done live. Audience contributions will be rewarded with badges. The result is considerably more 'tainment' than 'edu' as a family saga is conjured as a backstory. Pottering amiably among us, Turnbull combines our session with the proud yet recently turbulent history of the Tees Valley Projector Club, whose presidency has passed to Scott after his father's recent death. There are sketches of his ancestors, including the great-great-grandmother whose (fully detachable) hand was sought by Beethoven and Brian 'brother of Lord' Byron. A tale of pioneering lesbian scientists in a sea cave is followed by a portrait of a man with a leaf moustache, in turn followed by a Sonic Youth-referencing tale of a rabbit relocating from Los Angeles to Turnbull's home of Stockton-on-Tees. And there are adverts for cigarettes. Made for babies. This makes a sometimes scattershot DIY hour, with a few misses among the hits, although the lines of Turnbull's art are always appealing. The bunny opus is over-extended while the plot about his business's takeover by a lugubriously voiced boss who threatens to shut down the show could use a slightly stronger conclusion. But it's a lot of fun and our host has a lovely gentle presence, his childlike passion for art and storytelling accentuating the heartfelt tribute to his mum and dad. The final sequence is a tenderly rendered, wondrous folktale that would make a surreally superb sequel. At Summerhall, Edinburgh, until 25 August All our Edinburgh festival reviews
Scotsman
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Scott Turnbull's edutainment is surreally good fun
a Scott Turnbull and his collaborators won £2500 from Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy as part of the Keep it Fringe bursary scheme, launched by Fleabag queen, Phoebe Waller-Bridge (OK, Waller-Bridge's charity contrib-uted too) but you'd think the stage hands could of spent some of it on new paint, ay lad? Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Yes, Scott Turnbull's contagious idiocy has soaked fully into my bones since I succumbed to his "edutainment" this morning at Summerhall (I know other venues exist but that's where I keep getting sent so take it up with the management...) sorry – I'm doing it again. I want to be back in Scott's Surreally Good world...! Scott greets us at the door and shakes hands; as a reviewer I worry I maybe hurt his feelings by piously breezing past him with a haughty pout. Can't get too palsy-palsy ye knaw. Objectivity etc. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad His million-candela smile didn't flicker, though, and he launched into a Dada-esque cavort through one of the silliest and loveliest explorations of... Stockton on Tees. Where he's from. Scott Turnbull presents... Surreally Good An overhead projector (do these still get made?) shows images from transparent slides, as Scott tells the mega-absurd story of 'That's Edutainment!', interspersed with hand-animated adverts which include a commercial for 'Babyfags' – yes, cigarettes for northern babies. He draws in real time – at one point backed by the theme tune from 'Vision On' – a talented illustrator whose characters, with migrating lips pursuing kisses from posh-voiced lovers (posh voices are a thing with him) evoke the style of Jim Moir or perhaps in his dafter moments, Grayson Perry. (Scott will be tickled wi' that comparison, fella!) The audience was chuckling and guffawing throughout and the warmth in the damp, peeling Summerhall dungeon grew steadily as Scott charmed the pants off us. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It doesn't really matter how George Lucas wanted to buy his dad's show, or how Mr Turnbull met Scott's mum (a fishing net was involved); what matters is that he took us into a happy delirium, with that kind of hysterical silliness which can leave you high on laughter. Get in there; you might get a Chufty Badge. Venue 26, Former Womens Locker Room at Summerhall, 11.20am, until August 25 (not 18)
Scotsman
12-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Fringe theatre reviews: Scott Turnbull Golden Time
Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Scott Turnbull presents... Surreally Good ★★★★ Summerhall (Venue 27) until 25 August This extremely odd solo show from surrealist theatre-maker Scott Turnbull combines lo-fi animation, live drawing and absurdist humour into something strangely compelling. Scott Turnbull | Scott Turnbull Turnbull – who hails from the North East and was recently named Tees Valley Artist Of The Year – re-imagines himself as the descendant of a famous family. His late father founded Edutainment, a touring business that delivers socially conscious seminars with the help of an old-school overhead projector. Turnbull has inherited his occupation – the audience is cast as students at an Edutainment session – but financial difficulties have resulted in the family firm being sold off to the callous Wilks Booth corporation, and Turnbull must stick closely to their script. His wild mind keeps wandering off course, though. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Got all that? It doesn't really matter if not, as narrative coherence is not the main concern here. Turnbull uses this convoluted framing device as an excuse to tell a series of increasingly bizarre stories, which he delivers with the help of his projector, a series of pre-prepared slides, a few sections of David Shrigley-ish live drawing, a bit of gentle audience interaction, a handful of abrupt and quirky songs, and a lot of off-beat charm. The environment lesson dissolves into a weird tale about two lesbian geologists discovering an art gallery in a seaside cave. The section on youth disengagement becomes a bizarre story about a young rabbit who moves from LA to Stockton-on-Tees and falls in love with a vampire David Bowie bunny. Throughout, Turnbull teases the story of how his late father and mother met: when he eventually delivers it at the show's conclusion, it is a haunting, cryptic yarn about a fisherman, a mermaid and an egg. Turnbull – part supply teacher, part grieving son, part soulful artist – weaves this weirdness together with a soft smile and a glint in his eye. He is a thoroughly endearing performer and this is a uniquely strange show. There is nothing else like it at the festival. Fergus Morgan THEATREGolden Time (and Other Behavioural Management Strategies) ★★★ Pleasance Dome (Venue 60) until 25 August Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Rewards-based systems used in school to make kids conform, and the effects of these on children with a more diverse range of needs are the focus of this upbeat show with powerful points handed out like sweets, by former teaching assistant, Kate Ireland. Focussing on 'Golden Time', in which free time is given or taken away by teachers, Kate tells the story of befriending a neurodivergent child through a waterfall of rattling dialogue. It's this kind of wordiness that could get you 'sanctioned' at school but is almost expected in a Fringe show – particularly when there's a strict hour time slot, as the audience reviews in the creative captioning are keen to point out. Encouraged to join in, the audience poignantly list the petty deviations that they were punished for in school: rolling eyes, not sitting on a chair 'properly', 'talking'. Really what 99% of them wanted to be doing was drawing, we learn. It's a piece that channels its criticisms through the broad archetype of a clueless authoritarian teacher, Miss Sheppherd. But more interestingly, it encourages rekindling the clarity of childhood selves at their freest – to draw if that's what you want to do, rather than be part of the 99% of audience members who, as this show proves, still fall into mindless chanting when 'a teacher' tells them to. Sally Stott Blandy ★★★ Assembly George Square Studios (venue 17) until 25 August Hold on tight. There is no option but to be taken away with this quick and crazy tale which blends history, Bridgerton-like scandal and modern pig fairytale, Penelope. At the centre of the story is Mary Blandy, an 18th-century woman who famously murdered her father. Desperate to find a suitable suitor, Mary's life turns upside down when a charming man arrives. Secrets, supposed love potions, and murder follow. The play questions what really happened, giving the opportunity for Mary to tell her side. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Performers Georgie Dettmer and Luke Nixon barely take a moment to breathe, yet strong direction and distinct characterisation make the fast-moving shifts between present courtroom and flashback easy to follow. Energetic lighting and sound add intensity, evoking a modern club-like atmosphere. Amidst the chaos of characters and flashbacks, Mary recounts a fairytale of a Pig Princess, trying to make sense of her situation. An arrogant prosecution lawyer, dramatically lit and holding a microphone, repeatedly drags Mary back into the courtroom, forcing her to stay on track. The ending is slightly less satisfactory. It feels rushed with a bit too much still going on and competing for attention. Slight refinements and clearer focus could propel this piece to exciting heights. Coco Cottam's writing and the cast are unstoppable, but quite frankly, they shouldn't be stopped. Suzanne O'Brien Baker Street Ladies ★★★ theSpace @ Symposium Hall (Venue 43) until 23 August Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A trio of strong performances — all from one very talented actor — makes up this cosily entertaining triptych. A little more than mere pastiche, Lexi Wolfe's one-woman show is like a valentine to Sherlock Holmes delivered to 221b Baker Street by three ladies with strong ties to the great detective while he is out — presumably on a case. Introduced by a monologue from Holmes's landlady, Martha Watson, in a reassuringly convincing Scottish burr, Wolfe busies herself with a feather duster while reminiscing about all the damage wreaked on the premises by her troublesome tenant. While initially somewhat foreboding, Mrs Hudson's disposition softens the more she recalls. This contrasts nicely with the guarded attitude of Dr Watson's wife, Mary (Wolfe's costume and character changes are efficiently swift) who arrives looking for John, nervously eager to impart some news and anxious as always about the safety of her husband. While this is essentially fan fiction, it's nevertheless well-observed and Wolfe has a clear eye for the emotional truth of these characters. It's light on even the suggestion of a plot until the last caller, Irene Adler, provides a hint of narrative and intrigue, but it's a handsome showcase for Wolfe's fine character work all the same. Rory Ford Motorhome Marilyn ★★ Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose (Venue 24) until 25 August Despite the marketing behind this solo piece, written by Ben Weatherill and performed with bittersweet elegance by Eastenders star Michelle Collins, it has little to do with Marilyn Monroe. Only the lead character Denise's occupation links to the famous siren, with her career as a Marilyn impersonator taking her from Essex to Las Vegas, where the men are just as unpleasantly abusive and the breaks no easier to find. A gritty, noirish edge emerges, as Denise decides she's had enough and takes action in no uncertain terms, but the one-note, downbeat nature of the tale doesn't give Collins a whole lot to do. Her impassioned, melancholy version of the song River of No Return is a highlight. David Pollock The Lost Priest ★★ theSpace @ Surgeons Hall (Venue 53) until 23 August Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad At the age of ten, says solo performer Gabe Seplow, he was too young to understand the concept of his religious identity as a Jewish boy. Three years later, we discover that he decided not to be Bar Mitzvahed. Through this reflective monologue, he mulls over his experience of and thoughts on his Jewish identity as an adult, taking in the burden of antisemitism (which goes back, he notes, to the 'comedy' of The Merchant of Venice in 1596) to his own feelings of guilt associated with Israel. There are moments of definite poignancy, but the piece feels light-touch and one-note, not digging as deeply as it could for audience identification. David Pollock The Big Day ★★ theSpace on the Mile (Venue 39) until 22 August Four bolshy Glasgow girls are gearing up for the gig of the year - the year being 1990 and the gig being The Big Day, the citywide free festival which was the centrepiece of Glasgow's year as European City of Culture. Unfortunately, they're stuck in a holding cell having lobbed a glowstick at Sheena Easton during her badly received performance. While they figure out how to get out in time to catch the rest of the event, they bicker about their respective life choices, such as they are for a group of working class lasses kicking against the industrial decline of the previous decade and looking forward with a mix of trepidation and hope. The Big Day is standard friends-get-in-a-scrape fare but performed with commitment from a cast of Napier University graduates.
Scotsman
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Strange combinations take centre stage at Summerhall this festival
Out with strawberries and cream! Here are five strange combinations being explored in festival shows at Summerhall this August. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Shakespeare and classic Brazilian snacks: Cheese and Guava or Romeo and Juliet Summerhall - Main Hall, 31 July - 25 August (not 12, 19), 10:35 Cheese and Guava or Romeo and Juliet performs at Summerhall Created by Brazilian theatre collective Cênice, Cheese and Guava or Romeo and Juliet is a dashing and genuinely silly part of the São Paulo Showcase. This is Shakespeare's classic, but modernised, with text in Portuguese and English. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In São Paulo, 'Romeo and Juliet' is a nickname for a famous national sweet and salty snack - Cheese and Guava - which will be provided to the audience while they watch a lively adaptation of the bard's classic. The Brazilian Elvis, Roberto Carlos' sweeping and deeply romantic songbook provides the tunes. Slugs and clowns: SLUGS Award winning theatremakers Scott Turnbull and Ed Gaughan team up to create a hilariously weird world in Surreally Good Summerhall - Red Lecture Theatre, 31 July - 25 August (not 11, 18), 21:15 From the creators of 2023 cult smash CREEPY BOYS comes a whole new show from Canadian, self-proclaimed 'little slime balls' S.E. Grummett and Sam Kruger. SLUGS is a comedy-music-clown-puppet show brought to audiences in the late night basement of a former vet school. Described as a frantic, infectious and deliriously funny show for everyone burnt out from scrolling, exhausted from headlines, and suspects their best days are behind them - we're not sure where the slugs come in! Overhead projectors and felt tip pens: S.E. Grummett and Sam Kruger perform SLUGS at Summerhall this August Scott Turnbull presents... Surreally Good Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Summerhall - Former Women's Locker Room, 31 July - 25 August (not 11, 18), 11:20 Surreally Good is 50 minutes of alternative comedy and interactive storytelling written, devised and performed by award winning theatre maker and self-proclaimed 'nincompoop' Scott Turnbull, and directed, devised and co-written by award garnering 'idiot' Ed Gaughan. Alongside elements of physical theatre and clowning, Scott Turnbull created strange and beautiful worlds using felt tip pens and an old overhead projector. Audiences can expect wonderfully weird comedy in this surreal, absurd performance.
